The present invention relates to an improved moxibustion case which may also have the function of an acupressure, and more particularly to a novel acupressure-type moxibustion case which can be simultaneously used for superior moxibustion therapy and superior acupressure therapy by touching moxa combustion gas directly to an affected part to heat it and penetrate the effective ingredient contained in moxa and raw loquat leaves into the hypodermic portion of the affected part.
The raw loquat leaf has been nicknamed said "Needless for Doctor" and utilized for health improvement in various parts of Japan. For instance, several effective folk remedies utilizing loquat leaves have been transmitted and utilized from generation to generation. Specifically, one folk remedy is the touching method, in which the surfaces of two sheets of loquat leaves are repeatedly and quickly put on an affected part just after broiling them over a slow fire and then rubbing them against each other. Other methods include the drinking method and the hot-water bath cure method. Further, relatively recently, it has been ascertained that the loquat leaf contains the substance "amygdalin", from which vitamin B17 (Laetrile) can be extracted and which has the superior effect of purifying the blood by vapor penetration into the body through the skin.
On the basis of this knowledge, the present inventors have already invented a moxibustion case which improved the moxibustion effect by utilizing the vaporized effective ingredient of raw loquat leaves in addition to the moxa combustion gas, and filed Japanese Utility Model Application No. 52-80716 (Sho52(1977), Laid-Open Publication No. 54-7591 (Sho54 (1979). However, this moxibustion case for loquat leaf therapy has suffered from one or more defects in its operation and usage, which prevent its wide acceptance. That is, in the previous moxibustion case, it was necessary to almost always operate an inside pump including a slidable rear end cap in order to control the fire force of moxa and increase the pressure of moxa combustion gas to a desired level during usage. Also, the previous case assumed that raw loquat leaves were always readily available. Therefore, both hands were needed to operate the pump, and the case was useless if raw loquat leaves could not be obtained.